“I'm going to be happy. I'm going to skip. I'm going to be glad. I'm going to smile a lot. I'm going to be easy. I'm going to count my blessings. I'm going to look for reasons to feel good. I'm going to dig up positive things from the past. I'm going to look for positive things where I stand. I'm going to look for positive things in the future. It is my natural state to be a happy person. It's natural for me to love and to laugh. This is what is most natural for me. I am a happy person!” --- Abraham
 How to Be Happy
More than 100 years ago, author Robert Louis Stevenson offered the following tips for maintaining a positive attitude. They still apply today.

1. Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.
   
2. Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears.
   
3. Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't think that somehow you should be protected from misfortune that befalls other people.
   
4. You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you.
   
5. Don't let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself.
   
6. Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
   
7. Never borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than real ones.
   
8. Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish jealousy, enmity, grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
   
9. Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about new places.
   
10. Don't hold post mortems. Don't spend your time brooding over sorrows or mistakes. Don't be one who never gets over things.
    
11. Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
    
12. Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.

~Robert Louis Stevenson





P.S:
Reading,digesting,absorbing and assimilating the above material again and again…will keep me very busy today.  Today’s mantra is……..
“I am a happy person!”
Namaste,
Bhagya

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.”― Mahatma Gandhi

 

The  Greatest Wonder

 

If the Earth were only a few feet in diameter, floating a few feet above a field somewhere, people would come from everywhere to marvel at it.

People would walk around it marvelling at its big pools of water,its little pools and the water flowing between the pools.

People would marvel at the very thin layer of gas surrounding it and the water suspended in the gas.

The people would marvel at all the creatures walking around the surface of the ball,
and at the creatures in the water.

The people would declare it as sacred because it was the only one, and they would protect it so that it would not hurt.

The ball would be the greatest wonder known, and people would come to pray to it, to be healed, to gain knowledge, to know beauty and to wonder how it could be.

People would love it, and defend it with their lives because they would somehow know that their lives, their own roundness, could be nothing without it.

If the Earth were only a few feet in diameter.

~ Author Unknown

 

“We do not inherit the planet from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

― Native American Saying

 

“The earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth.”
― Chief Seattle

 

“What's the use of a fine house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?”― Henry David Thoreau

 

P.S:

When taking care of the earth becomes the point of discussion, one feels rather overwhelmed and helpless.

Everywhere….most people seem to be plundering the earth.

“What can I do” ????

Actually a lot.

Make time to connect with the earth on a daily basis,even if it is just  for a few minutes.

Send Mother Earth all the love you can.

If not you/me,then who ?

If not now,then when ???

Namaste,

Bhagya

 

 

 

 

"The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong questions." - Peter Drucker

 

Mullah Nasruddin's house was on fire, so he ran up to his roof for safety.

There he was, precariously perched on the roof, when his friends gathered in the street below holding a stretched-out blanket for him and shouting,

"Jump, Mullah, jump!"

"Oh no I won't," said the Mullah. "I know you fellows. What if, I jump, and you pull the blanket away, just to make a fool of me????"

"Don't be silly, Mullah. This isn't a joke. This is serious. Jump!"

"No," said Nasruddin. "I don't trust any of you. Lay that blanket on the ground and I'll jump."

 

"Between stimulus and response there is a space.

In that space is our power to choose our response.

In our response lies our growth and our freedom."~Dr. Viktor Frankl

 

P.S:What if,one is willing to change the questions one asks??

What if one could learn to let go of self sabotaging beliefs???

What if one could learn to fear less and trust more ????????

What if, this is the best moment to change ????????????

Namaste,

Bhagya

All Things Precious

If I could, I'd comb the sky
and collect the stars,
quickly pile them into a basket
until it overflowed with silvery light.
And then I'd give the basket to you,
because all things precious
and beautiful
should be yours today.

~Author Unknown

“I wanted to share this wonderful story with you all ♥ Please feel free to share ♥
Freedom and Jeff

Freedom and I have been together 11 years this summer.
She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken wings.
Her left wing doesn't open all the way even after surgery,it was broken in 4 places.
She's my baby.
When Freedom came in she could not stand and both wings were broken. She was
emaciated and covered in lice. We made the decision to give her a chance at life, so I took
her to the vet's office. From then
on, I was always around her. We had her in a huge dog carrier with the top off, and it was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to lay in. I used to sit and talk to her,
urging her to live, to fight; and she would lay there looking at me with those big brown eyes.
We also had to tube feed her for weeks.
This went on for 4-6 weeks, and by then she still couldn't stand. It got to the point where the
decision was made to euthanize her if she couldn't stand in a week. You know you don't
want to cross that line between torture and rehab, and it looked like death was winning. She was going to be put down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in
on that Thursday afternoon. I didn't want to go to the center that Thursday, because I couldn't
bear the thought of her being euthanized;but I went anyway, and when I walked in everyone
was grinning from ear to ear. I went immediately back to her cage; and there she was,
standing on her own, a big beautiful eagle. She was ready to live. I was just about in tears by then. That was a very good day.
We knew she could never fly, so the director asked me to glove train her.
I got her used to the glove,
and then to jesses, and we started
doing education programs for schools in western Washington .
We wound up in the newspapers,
radio (believe it or not) and some
TV. Miracle Pets even did a show
about us.
In the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I had stage 3,
which is not good(one major organ plus everywhere), so I wound up doing 8 months of
chemo. Lost the hair - the whole
bit. I missed a lot of work. When I
felt good enough, I would go to Sarvey and take Freedom out for walks. Freedom would
also come to me in my dreams and help me fight the cancer. This happened time and time again.
Fast forward to November 2000
the day after Thanksgiving,
I went in for my last check up.
I was told that if the cancer was not all gone after 8 rounds of chemo, then my last option was a stem cell transplant. Anyway, they did the tests; and I had to come back Monday for
the results. I went in Monday, and I was told that all the cancer was gone.
So the first thing I did was get up to Sarvey and take the big girl out for a walk. It was misty
and cold. I went to her flight and jessed her up, and we went out front to the top of the
hill. I hadn't said a word to
Freedom, but somehow she knew. She looked at me
and wrapped both her wings around me to where I could feel them pressing in on my back
(I was engulfed in eagle wings), and she touched my nose with her beak and stared into my
eyes, and we just stood there like that for I don't know how long . That was a magic moment. We have been soul mates ever
since she came in. This is a very special bird.
On a side note: I have had people who were sick come up to us when we are out, and
Freedom has some kind of hold on them. I once had a guy who was terminal come up to us and
I let him hold her.
His knees just about buckled and he swore he could feel her power course through his body. I have so many stories like that..
I never forget the honor I have of being so close to such a magnificent spirit as Freedom.”
~Jeff

P.S: This amazing story has touched and inspired me so profoundly that I had to share it with you.I have always believed in miracles and stories like this only make my belief stronger.

May your day be chock full of miracles big and small.

Namaste,

Bhagya

“Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this.”~ Henry Ford

 

Daily Acceptance Prayer  

I accept myself completely.
I accept my strengths and my weaknesses,
my gifts and my shortcomings,
my good points and my faults.

I accept myself completely as a human being.
I accept that I am here to learn and grow,
and I accept that I am learning and growing.
I accept the personality I've developed, and
I accept my power to heal and change.
I accept myself without condition or reservation.

I accept that the core of my being is goodness
and that my essence is love,
and I accept that I sometimes forget that.
I accept myself completely, and in this acceptance I find an ever-deepening inner strength.

From this place of strength, I accept my life fully and I open to the lessons it offers me today.
I accept that within my mind are both fear and love,
and I accept my power to choose which I will experience as real.

I recognize that I experience only the results of my own choices.
I accept the times that I choose fear
as part of my learning and healing process, and I accept that I have the potential and power in any moment to choose love instead.

I accept mistakes as a part of growth,
so I am always willing to forgive myself and
give myself another chance.
I accept that my life is the expression of my thought,
and I commit myself to aligning my thoughts
more and more each day with the Thought of Love.

I accept that I am an expression of this Love.
Love's hands and voice and heart on earth.
I accept my own life as a blessing and a gift.
My heart is open to receive, and I am deeply grateful.
May I always share the gifts that I receive
fully, freely, and with joy.

~ Author Unknown

 

“Self-acceptance comes from meeting life's challenges vigorously. Don't numb yourself to your trials and difficulties, nor build mental walls to exclude pain from your life. You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory.”
-- J. Donald Walters

“I've learned to take time for myself and to treat myself with a great deal of love and respect 'cause i like me i think i'm kind of cool.”
-whoopi goldberg

P.S:May you make room for greater self love and acceptance… as you take time out for yourself today…knowing how unique and special you truly are…and “kind of cool” too.

Namaste,

Bhagya

 

"Some of us think holding on makes us strong;but sometimes it is letting go."
~Herman Hesse~

The Trouble Tree

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.
On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.
"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied." I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again."
He paused. "Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

~Author Unknown

“Speak when you are angry -and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret.”

~Dr.Laurence J. Peter

 

“Trouble brings experience, and experience brings wisdom.”

 

P.S:Focus on trouble and we get more.

Focus on anger/ frustration and we get more things that add to it.

Focus on difficulties…and we find more.

What if,we could focus on letting go of stuff that does not serve us??

What if,we choose to focus on infinite  possibilities??

 

What if,the focus could be on counting our blessings ?

Let’s start counting…..and have an awesome day!!!!

Namaste,

Bhagya

“The most extraordinary thing about the oyster is this. Irritations get into his shell. He does not like them. But when he cannot get rid of them, he uses the irritation to do the loveliest thing an oyster ever has a chance to do. If there are irritations in our lives today, there is only one prescription: make a pearl. It may have to be a pearl of patience, but, anyhow, make a pearl. And it takes faith and love to do it.” ~Henry Emerson Fosdick

An oyster saw a loose pearl that had fallen into the crevice of a rock on the ocean bed. After great effort she managed to retrieve the pearl and place it just beside her on a leaf.
She knew that humans searched for pearls and thought, "This pearl will tempt them, so they will take it and let me be."
When a pearl diver showed up, however, his eyes were conditioned to look for oysters and not for pearls resting on leaves.
So he grabbed the oyster, which did not happen to have a pearl, and allowed the real pearl to roll back into the crevice in the rock.
You know exactly where to look. That is the reason why you fail to find God.

~Anthony de Mello

 

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” -Henry David Thoreau

 

 

 Confucius said “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated,” and it is so true.

What if, we could go through the day, knowing that opportunities are presenting themselves to us all the time???

What if, we realize that everything that looks challenging is not necessarily a problem; like every oyster in the net does not necessarily have a pearl within?

What if,we choose to go through life knowing that God is within us….and with God everything that seems impossible becomes possible???

Namaste,

Bhagya

 

 

“The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.”

~Thucydides

I've written a lot of articles on Freedom. 

Freedom to me basically comes down to choice.

Freedom is the power to choose what you want.

Whenever you lose your power of choice,

whether it is you deciding not to choose

or someone else making/forcing their choices upon you,

you lose the precious gift  - Freedom.

May you be forever Free.

Your friend,

Terri Marie

 

“Freedom is from within.”
~Frank Lloyd Wright

“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”~Benjamin Franklin

 

"Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes."- Mahatma Gandhi

“Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.” ~Albert Camus

“Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry is own weight, this is a frightening prospect.”~ Eleanor Roosevelt

P.S:The freedom to choose is the greatest freedom of all.

Each one is born free and can choose the direction in which to look and go…

Each one has the right to use one’s energy in a way that gives joy.

Enjoying one’s freedom and allowing others the space to enjoy theirs too is one’s responsibility…since freedom and responsibility are two sides of the same coin.

So that when one looks back on life one can do so joyously……because of the right choices one has made….instead of regretfully…..for the choices one has chosen not to choose.

Namaste,

Bhagya

“Miracles happen everyday.Change your perception of what a miracle is and you'll see them all around you.”

~Jon Bon Jovi

 

A man took his new hunting dog out on a trial hunt. Presently he shot a duck that fell into the lake. The dog walked over the water, picked up the duck, and brought it to his master.

The man was flabbergasted! He shot another duck. Once again, while he rubbed his eyes in disbelief, the dog walked over the water and retrieved the duck.

Hardly daring to believe that he had seen, he called his neighbour for a shoot the following day.

Once again, each time he or his neighbour hit a bird, the dog would walk over the water and bring the bird in.

The man said nothing. Neither did his neighbour. Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, he blurted out, "Did you notice anything strange about that dog?"

The neighbour rubbed his chin pensively. "Yes," he finally said. "Come to think of it, I did! The son of a gun can't swim!"

It isn't as if life is not full of miracles. It's more than that: it is miraculous, and anyone who stops taking it for granted will see it at once.

~Anthony de Mello

 

“For the truly faithful, no miracle is necessary. For those who doubt, no miracle is sufficient.”~Nancy Gibbs

 

P.S: What if, we could change the way we look at things?

What if,we choose to stop taking miracles for granted ?

What if,we could choose to be open to infinite,miraculous possibilities?

There is nothing to lose…..and everything to gain.

Namaste,

Bhagya

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein
A monk was walking in the monastery grounds one day when he heard a bird sing.
He listened, spellbound. It seemed to him that never before had he heard, really heard, the song of a bird.
When the singing stopped he returned to the monastery and discovered, to his dismay, that he was a stranger to his fellow monks, and they to him.
It was only gradually that they and he discovered that he was returning after centuries. Because his listening was total, time had stopped and he had slipped into eternity.
Prayer is made perfect when the timeless is discovered.
The timeless is discovered through clarity of perception.
Perception is made clear when it is disengaged from preconceptions and from all consideration of personal loss or gain.
Then the miraculous is seen and the heart is filled with wonder.
~Anthony de Mello
“According to Vedanta, there are only two symptoms of enlightenment, just two indications that a transformation is taking place within you toward a higher consciousness. The first symptom is that you stop worrying. Things don't bother you anymore. You become light-hearted and full of joy. The second symptom is that you encounter more and more meaningful coincidences in your life, more and more synchronicities. And this accelerates to the point where you actually experience the miraculous. (quoted by Carol Lynn Pearson in Consider the Butterfly)” ― Deepak Chopra, Synchrodestiny
P.S: Everyone desires miracles in their lives….but not everyone  believes in them.
They say,“Let it happen first………then I will believe in them.”
That is like putting the cart before the horse.


Miracles happen in the lives of those who  believe in them.

 May your belief in miracles be so strong……that everything in your life is a miracle.
Namaste,
Bhagya
                                                                                                     

“Reality is a sliding door.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reality, mostly, is not what it is

but what we have decided it is :

A little old Jewish lady sits down in a plane next to a a big Swede and keeps staring at him. Finally she turns to him and says,

"Pardon me, are you Jewish?"

He says, "No."

A few minutes later she turns to him again and says,

"You can tell me, you know - you are Jewish, aren't you?"

He says, "Most certainly not."

She keeps studying him for some minutes, then says again,"

"I can tell you are Jewish."

In order to get rid of the annoyance, the mans says,

"Okay, so I'm Jewish!"

She looks at him again, shakes her head, and says,

"You certainly don't look it."

We first make our conclusions - then find some way to arrive at them.

~Anthony de Mello

“Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.”~ John Lennon

“There are many ways to be free. One of them is to transcend reality by imagination, as I try to do.”
~Anais Nin

P.S:One’s life is a gift….with a blank card…so that one might choose to write on it…an original,extraordinary story.

As Les Brown so very wisely says,“Other people's opinion of you does not have to become your reality.”

If one chooses to agree with someone else… just to buy peace….one is giving one’s power away.What a price to pay !!!

Namaste,

Bhagya

P.P.S: What if, one were to choose to imagine one’s version of an extraordinary life…….and allow it to become one’s reality??